Typically, gas turbine engines include a compressor for compressing air, a combustor for mixing the compressed air with fuel and igniting the mixture, and a turbine blade assembly for producing power. Combustors often operate at high temperatures that may exceed 2,500 degrees Fahrenheit. Typical turbine combustor configurations expose turbine blade assemblies to these high temperatures. As a result, turbine blades must be made of materials capable of withstanding such high temperatures. In addition, turbine blades often contain cooling systems for prolonging the life of the blades and reducing the likelihood of failure as a result of excessive temperatures.
Typically, turbine blades are formed from a root portion having a platform at one end and an elongated portion forming a blade that extends outwardly from the platform coupled to the root portion. Portions of the platform immediately adjacent to the airfoil are typically cooled with internal cooling systems in the blade. The remaining portions of the platform are typically cooled with convection cooling by cooling fluids that are contained in a region that is radially inward of the platforms. The cooling fluids are contained in this region for use in the internal cooling systems of the turbine airfoils. While the cooling fluids reduce the temperature of the platforms, the platforms remain susceptible to localized hot spots caused by exposure to the hot gases in the hot gas path because of a lack of directed cooling. Thus, a need exists for more efficiently cooling the platforms of turbine airfoils.